Matteo Guendouzi insists he "had to foul" Wilfried Zaha in the closing stages of the game as Arsenal drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace this afternoon (Sunday).
The Frenchman was cautioned after a cynical foul on the Palace star as he looked to try and break in the final few minutes of the game at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal had been pushing for a winner with the score at 2-2, after being pegged back by the Eagles, having led through two early goals from Sokratis and David Luiz.
But while Zaha has taken to social media to send a message about the midfielder's challenge, Guendouzi said he had no choice but to bring the Palace star down.
"I had to foul Zaha at the end, otherwise he is through on goal on his own," he told www.arsenal.com.
"I'm the last defender but I’m far from our goal as well. I had to do it.
Guendouzi also spoke of his disappointment at letting a two-goal lead slip against Palace, and the frustration at seeing a goal disallowed late on, with Sokratis' strike ruled out by VAR.
"It’s not a mental issue. We didn’t manage to hold our advantage. We knew they were a good team, with individual quality, and they played well for their goals. [Wilfried] Zaha did well to get a penalty. It’s down to us to work so we win these kinds of matches after taking the lead," he said.
"I’m not sure what happened on our disallowed goal. It’s like last Monday at Sheffield [United].
"The ref didn’t check with VAR then on Sokratis and Saka. This time he checks and it goes against us. I haven’t seen it again yet but we lose two points because of that today and a point at Sheffield too."
